This almost lifelike sculpture of an American Indian is on display at the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve art exhibit at the Reserve's Visitor Center at 39400 Clinton Keith Road in Murrieta. Many artworks are on display the center through August.

Bronze, metal, wood and oil painting artists joined with naturalists and members of the Santa Rosa Preserve Nature Education Foundation to celebrate the opening of the art exhibition and summer concert series at the Santa Rosa Plateau Nature Preserve visitors center Saturday, June 30.

The artists from Southwest Riverside County who have selected the natural scenery of the surrounding foothills and mountains took the opportunity to show their finest creations at the special event sponsored by the Foundation. The proceeds will benefit the SRPER's children's educational programs.

The exhibit will remain open to the visitors to the center at 39400 Clinton Keith Road in Murrieta throughout the summer. A portion of the profits made from the sale of the artwork will be donated to the SRPER that yearly brings thousands of local school children to the reserve where that can learn about the nature around them and to become good stewards of the land.

The art pieces are exemplary of everything from the bronzes of native Americans who once lived in the land, the eagles and animals that still live on the reserve, to paintings of the rare oaks and other flora and fauna that dots its 8,000 acres. There are sculptures made entirely out of wood collected from the old wooden homesteads found in the country.

The Plateau Vineyards donated wine and the Garage Brewing Co. its draft beer to the visitors and artist attending the event. Naturalist Rob Hicks and SRPER docents were on hand to tell people about the reserve and its many trails and wildlife open to the public.

The artists explained how the reserve gave them the insight to make or paint their works.

Entertaining the more than 150 reserve supporters were the talented students from the Cadenza School of Music in Temecula, directed by string musicians Sandi and Christine del Rosario.

Tony Ault

Naturalist Rob Hicks, who helped place many art pieces for display at the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve's 21st annual Art Exhibit at the Visitors Center in Murrieta, tries to imitate a sculpted bronze Indian on display. He said he liked this piece more than any other in the exhibit now open to the public. All art pieces on display are of past or present natural scenes on the Reserve.

The artists included such talents as Jason Addams with his 12-foot tall sculpture made out of hundreds of pieces of old flooring and wood gathered from abandon homes and Austin Casson who creates finely sculptured eagle bronzes, one of which was made for President George Bush Sr. while he was in office.

Thirty other artists will show their art pieces in the exhibit throughout the visitor center.

The SRPNEF will be hosting six special tribute bands outside of the SRPNP Visitors Center this summer. The first tribute band was The Bruce Springsteen Experience with Josh Schreiber that began at 6:30 p.m July 7.. The Art Exhibit will open earlier at 5:30 p.m. The cost for the first concert will be $30 per person and $22 for SRPF members.

The other concerts are scheduled July 14, 21, 28, Aug. 4 and Aug. 11. For concert information and tickets, which must be purchased in advance see srpf.org. Season tickets are also available. The SRPF is a nonprofit tax-deductible organization. Concert goers are urged to bring their own chair since it is an outdoors event.